Christina Ricci reveals she was told ‘not to do TV’ while gracing the cover of Variety

Christina Ricci looked nothing short of sensational as she graced the latest cover of Variety, after landing an Emmy nomination for her role on Yellowjackets.

While rocking a brown and black checkerboard dress, the 42-year-old actress oozed glamour with her straight brunette locks cascading down her shoulders and a pair of diamond drop earrings.

The actress, best known for starring as Wednesday in The Addams Family when she was just 11, also seized the chance to shed light on what attracted her to play Misty Quigley on Showtime’s suspenseful psychological thriller.

The mom-of-two, who has a gravitated toward portraying unusual characters with a dark edge over her three-decade-long career, revealed she finds it ‘really interesting’ getting to ‘play a whole human being and get to explore a person that’s capable of that.’ 

She also joked that there’s ‘probably a clinical diagnosis for’ her character, who is a plane crash survivor that goes on to commit murder, but is ‘not educated enough to make it.’ 

‘I don’t believe that you need to relate to a person to find it interesting. I don’t believe that today’s audience needs to relate to the story and to be fascinated by the story,’ Ricci added. ‘As women we’ve had to relate to men, these male stories about maleness that I haven’t related to but somehow, I was able to figure it out.’ 

Still, it irked her when she saw Misty get mocked, before listing some of her redeemable qualities.

‘Because nobody has ever been there for her, she has never learned to rely on anybody else for happiness and she makes her own fun. She doesn’t feel the same things the other girls feel; she’s not part of the group. And I personally really admire that. I don’t enjoy group thought,’ the Percy vs Goliath actress pointed out.

She continued: ‘I don’t enjoy trends. I don’t enjoy that people have the same taste in things to be friends. I love people who do not require other human beings to be happy. I really respect that about her, that sort of strength. It’s a defensive strength, but I still think it’s valid.’ 

Ricci also admitted it’s fun portraying someone that’s ‘the point of being upset about how rejected and alone she is.’ 

‘She’s just like, ‘Oh yeah? This is my life, f**k all of you.’ She’s having a really good time,’ the star mused. 

While looking back at starting her career in entertainment at just 9-years-old, she recalls being ‘told not to do TV.’ 

‘I’d tell myself then, ‘No matter what, do the TV. Follow your instincts.’ I would tell myself to follow my instincts more and not be swayed as much. TV was my refuge,’  Ricci recalled. 

In addition to getting ready to film season two of Yellowjackets, which secured seven Emmy nods, Ricci will also be involved with an upcoming spin-off of Tim Burton’s live-action Addams Family series for Netflix.

‘I was really flattered to be asked and to be asked by Tim,’ she says, staying mum on any other details. ‘It’s nice to be a part of this next iteration of that character. It’s fun to watch and it’s fun to see other people’s takes on things and what they put of themselves into something like that.’